Labour’s Employer’s National Insurance rise from April this year risks having a catastrophic impact on hospices and their ability to provide the outstanding care that so many rely on. Richard Fuller MP again raised this with Treasury Ministers in the House of commons last week. You can watch his intervention at https://youtu.be/3AfIxl0h0mA?si=YwYY2VJBrfleJmXL
Richard said:
During the recent debate on the NI increases, I highlighted that although the government says that it has provided additional funding for hospices, a quirk of healthcare funding means that this money can only be used for capital expenditure, not to offset NICs increases. This is an arbitrary distinction and it is within the Chancellor’s gift to carve out an exemption for the hospice sector if she sees fit and I hope she addresses this sooner rather than later.
I don’t believe for a second that the Labour government set out to cause such harm to hospices in October’s budget. There is however, no escaping the reality of the enormous collateral damage caused by their Jobs Tax and I urge them to recognise this and show compassion and understanding to those who were never intended to be in the Chancellor’s crosshairs.
